California lawmaker spared jail for child abuse due to ‘Epstein loophole’

California lawmakers are blasting an “Epstein loophole” after a Kern County politician accused of sexually assaulting his own child has dodged jail time by entering a mental-health diversion program.

Zack Scrivner, the former Kern County supervisor, was charged in Feb. 2025 with felony child abuse and possession of assault weapons — but did not include a sexual-assault charge despite a state complaint stating Scrivner was under the influence of drugs when he climbed into bed with a child and touched them “inappropriately.”

While the charges themselves remain under scrutiny amid Scrivner’s deep political ties, including being the nephew of Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, the latest backlash stems from a Dec. 19 ruling that allowed him to skirt jail time altogether and instead enter a mental-health diversion program.

Critics of the diversion program law, which took effect in 2018, say it’s being misused to give serious offender a get out of jail free card.

“I specialize in family and addiction medicine, so I know the value of mental health diversion. … It was designed to help people get treatment and rehabilitation in appropriate cases, not to provide an escape hatch to sexually assault children,” Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains said in a statement, the LA Times reported. “This Epstein loophole needs to be closed.”